Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Monday confirmed that the USDA intends to go forward with releasing funds in December for the second part of the department's trade aid package and, so far, the payment rates have not been reduced.

Concern was building that USDA might scale back the second tranche of payments for the program designed to help counteract impacts of foreign retaliatory tariffs, but Perdue told reporters that won't likely happen.

"Frankly, right now we see no change in the amount ..." Perdue said.

The first tranche, worth roughly $6.3 billion, was announced in late August. Perdue said recently he would have liked to release the second tranche in October, but was told by the White House Office of Management and Budget to hold back. The reason for the delay, government sources tell Agri-Pulse, was the potential for the payment rates to be decreased if the foreign tariff pressures decreased.